A new intergovernmental agreement on cooperation between Russia and China in the field of tourism will be signed in 2019. This was announced by the head of the Federal Tourism Agency, Oleg Safonov, at a thematic session on promoting tourism potential of Russia, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) taking place in Shanghai, TASS reports.
"We are in the final stages of preparing an intergovernmental agreement. I hope that this intergovernmental agreement can be signed soon. We hope it will be signed next year," said Oleg Safonov.
As the head of Rostourism noted, a tourist group is currently considered a group of five people, and this applies to both Chinese and Russian tourists. "Under the new draft agreement, this number is reduced to three. Also very important is the extension of the permitted stay of tourists in the Russian Federation and China from 14 days, as defined by the current intergovernmental agreement, to 30 days. We consider this very important, as it will expand opportunities for both Russian and Chinese citizens to travel to each other for tourism purposes," he said.
The intergovernmental agreement, signed in 2000 and still in effect today, has become a model for many countries on how to organize cooperation in the field of tourism, and a draft of a new agreement between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China is currently being developed.
Furthermore, Russia is working to improve the comfortable and safe vacation experience for Chinese tourists. Furthermore, under the "Russian Hospitality" program, measures are being taken to adapt tourism services to the needs and expectations of Chinese tourists, according to Rostourism.
At the same session, Oleg Safonov noted that the development of cooperation between the two countries is demonstrating positive dynamics. He also clarified that, compared to 2017, tourist flow has increased significantly. For example, last year, Chinese tourists made 1,478,000 trips to Russia—an increase of 141,000 trips compared to 2016. Russian tourists, in turn, made 2 million trips to China. In the first half of 2018, tourist flow from China increased by 211,000 trips compared to 2017.
"Russian-Chinese cooperation in tourism has been developing very actively in recent years. Moreover, I believe that the growth of mutual tourist flows is fundamentally important. In recent years, China has traditionally been among the leading inbound tourism countries to our country. In the first half of 2018, the number of tourist arrivals from China to Russia increased by 211,000, reaching 667,000 trips," he said.
Based on all of the above, the tourist flow from China to Russia could reach 2 million people in 2018, according to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the Russian Federation. According to their data, approximately 100,000 Chinese tourists and fans have already attended the FIFA World Cup, according to Rostourism.
One of the factors in the growth of mutual tourist flows is the implementation of a visa-free regime between the two countries.
"The steady growth of tourist flow from China to Russia is driven by the friendly relations between the two countries, the significant interest of Chinese citizens in Russian culture, the diverse opportunities for recreation and travel, and the safety and comfortable conditions for Chinese tourists in our country. The development of inbound Chinese tourism is a very positive trend, as the Russian economy's revenue from hosting Chinese guests is showing positive dynamics and is contributing to the goal set by Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase tourism exports," said Oleg Safonov, Head of the Federal Tourism Agency.
Source: trn-news.ru
